Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA-Punjab) has warned the government not to take any decision on wheat export without taking the flour milling sector on board, which is already facing a crisis like situation and any step of direct wheat export by the government may bring the flour milling sector to brink of destruction.
While expressing their reservation on alleged government plan to directly export surplus wheat and obliging some near and dear ones by extending a subsidy of US 170-180 dollars per tons, PFMA Punjab Chairman Riaz Ullah Khan, Asim Raza Ahmad, Mian Riaz, Liaquat Ali Khan and others vowed to resist any such decision.
Speaking at a meeting held at the Punjab office of the Association here on Tuesday, they said that the millers had invested billions of rupees in this industry and any decision to not involving them in wheat or wheat products export would ruin it further. They claimed that 50 percent industry was at halt while those running were also unable to meet their expenses.
They said that wheat could fetch precious foreign exchange after value addition. Wheat export price was around US 150 dollar per ton while flour, Maida and fine flour could be sold from US 270 dollars to 300 dollars per ton. So exporting wheat directly could be harmful for the country and the industry. They also called for announcing a permanent annual wheat export policy, which could ensure wheel of the domestic industry running and livelihood to people attached with this sector besides disposal of surplus wheat.